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Jim Varney

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Cause of death
  
Lung cancer

Years active
  
1976–2000


Name
  
Jim Varney

Role
  
Actor

Jim Varney famousdudecomimagesjimvarney07jpg

Full Name
  
James Albert Varney, Jr.

Born
  
June 15, 1949 (
1949-06-15
)
Pike County, Kentucky, United States

Resting place
  
Lexington CemeteryLexington, Kentucky, United States

Occupation
  
actor, voice actor, comedian, writer

Known for
  
Ernest P. WorrellSlinky Dog from the Toy Story series

Died
  
February 10, 2000, White House, Tennessee, United States

Buried
  
Spouse
  
Jane Varney (m. 1988–1991), Jacqueline Drew (m. 1977–1983)

Education
  
Lafayette High School (1968), Murray State University

Movies
  
Ernest Goes to Camp, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Scared Stupid, Toy Story, Ernest Saves Christmas

Similar People
  
John R Cherry III, Noelle Parker, Bill Byrge, Blake Clark, Erika Eleniak

Jim varney book the importance of being ernest the life of actor jim varney by justin lloyd


James Albert Varney Jr. (June 15, 1949 – February 10, 2000) was an American actor, comedian and writer, best known for his role as Ernest P. Worrell, who was used in numerous television commercial advertising campaigns and movies, earning him fame worldwide and a Daytime Emmy Award. He gained further notability for playing Jed Clampett in the movie version of The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) and providing the voice of Slinky Dog in Toy Story (1995) and Toy Story 2 (1999).

Contents

Jim Varney Jim Varney Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

The death of jim varney


Early life

Jim Varney Hey Vern it39s Jim Varney 1984 Kentucky Photo Archive

James Albert Varney Jr. was born in Lexington, Kentucky. He was the fourth child and only son of James Albert Varney, Sr. and Nancy Louise Varney (née Howard).

Jim Varney Jim Varney Actor Film Actor Comedian Television Actor

As a child, Varney displayed the ability to memorize long poems and significant portions of material from books, which he used to entertain family and friends. When Varney was a boy, his mother would put the black and white television on cartoons for him to watch. His mother discovered that Varney quickly began to imitate the cartoon characters, so she started him in children's theater when he was 8 years old. Varney began his interest in theater as a teenager, winning state titles in drama competitions while a student at Lafayette High School (class of 1968) in Lexington. At the age of 15, he portrayed Ebenezer Scrooge in a local theater production, and by 17 he was performing professionally in nightclubs and coffee houses. Varney studied Shakespeare at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia and performed in an Opryland folk show in its first year of operation in the 1970s. He listed a former teacher, Thelma Beeler, as being one of the main contributing factors in his becoming an actor. When he was 24, Varney was an actor at the Pioneer Playhouse in Danville, Kentucky. The theater was adjacent to an Old West-themed village and prior to the show the audience would tour the village where apprentices would play townsfolk. Varney and the company usually played in the outdoor theater to audiences of only a few dozen people. Varney would regale the young apprentices by throwing knives into trees. He performed in Blithe Spirit, Boeing 707 and an original musical, Fire on the Mountain. He once jokingly threatened a long-haired apprentice, John Lino Ponzini, that he would take him up to Hazard, Kentucky where he (Ponzini) wouldn't make it down Main Street without the townsfolk giving him a crewcut.

Television commercials

In 1980, the first commercial featuring Varney as "Ernest" advertised an appearance by the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at Beech Bend Park, an amusement park located near Bowling Green, Kentucky. The character was franchised for use in markets all over the country and was used often by dairies to advertise milk products. For example, the Midwestern dairy bar chain Braum's ran several advertisements using Ernest's catchphrase (as it was spelled in his registered trademark), "KnoWhutImean, Vern?" Purity Dairies, based in Nashville, Pine State Dairy in Raleigh, NC, and Oakhurst Dairy in Maine ran commercials that were nearly identical, but with the dairy name changed.

For the same agency, Varney created a different character, Sgt. Glory, a humorless drill instructor who harangued cows of the client dairy into producing better milk. In another spot, Sgt. Glory's home was shown as he had a date, which was heavily decorated with the products of the sponsor and advertising specialty items that it was essentially devoid of any other decor. The Sgt. Glory character also appeared in an advertisement for a southern grocery chain, Pruitt's Food Town, in which he drilled the checkout clerks on proper behavior: "Bread on top. Repeat: Bread on top." He approaches one of them at the end of the commercial with a look of menace and says, "You're not smilin'." The checkout bagger gives a very nervous and forced smile.

Varney also starred as Ernest in a series of commercials that ran in the New Orleans area (and throughout the Gulf South) as a spokesman for natural gas utilities. In one, he is seen kneeling down in front of Vern's desk under a lamp hanging from the ceiling, stating, "Natural Gas, Vern; it's hot, fast, and cheap. Hot, fast, cheap; kinda like your first wife, Vern, you know, the pretty one!?" Vern then knocks the lamp into Ernest's head, knocking him down. Those same television advertisements also were featured on channels in the St. Louis area for Laclede Gas Company during the mid-1980s and in the Metro Detroit area for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. Another TV ad for Laclede Gas featured Ernest saying, "Heat pump, schmeat pump." Varney also appeared in several Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Stores commercials throughout the 1980s. These aired on Oklahoma television.

Varney also was noted for doing commercials for car dealerships across the country, most notably Cerritos Auto Square in Cerritos, California, Tysons Toyota in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and Audubon Chrysler in Henderson, Kentucky. Another favorite Ernest vehicle was promotions for various TV stations around the nation, including the news team and the weather departments.

Varney portrayed Ernest in a series of commercials for Convenient Food Mart during the 1980s. In 1982, Varney co-hosted the syndicated Pop! Goes the Country with singer Tom T. Hall. The show had just had a major overhaul and ended shortly after Varney hosted..

Varney also portrayed another character, "Auntie Nelda", in numerous commercials long before he resurrected the character for the movies. Dressed in drag and appearing to be a senior citizen, the commercials gave off the tone of a motherly lady encouraging one to do what was right (in this case, buy whatever product was being promoted). This character, along with the "Ernest" character, ran for a couple of years in Mississippi and Louisiana in commercials for Leadco Aluminum Siding, a company that would provide estimates for placing aluminum siding on a home. Leadco often bought two-hour slots in local markets. During the slot, a movie was televised, and Varney (as one of his characters) and a Leadco representative would be the only commercial breaks during the movie, promoting only Leadco.

During the 1990s, Varney reprised his role as Ernest for Blake's Lotaburger, a fast food chain in New Mexico. In these commercials, Ernest typically would be trying to get into Vern's house to see what food Vern was eating. After a lengthy description of whatever tasty morsel Vern had, Ernest would get locked out but would continue to shout from outside.

Ernest's popularity

Varney's character Ernest proved so popular that it was spun off into a TV series, Hey Vern, It's Ernest! (1988) and a series of movies in the 1980s and 1990s. Ernest Goes to Camp (1987) was a huge hit, grossing $23.5 million at the U.S. box office, on a $3 million production budget, and staying in the Box Office Top 5 for its first three weeks of release. Though the film saw Varney nominated for the now-defunct Razzie Award for Worst New Star, only one year later Varney earned the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series for Hey Vern, It's Ernest!

The canon of theatrically-released Ernest films also includes Ernest Saves Christmas (1988), Ernest Goes to Jail (1990), Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) and Ernest Rides Again (1993). After the financial failure of Ernest Rides Again, all further films were released direct-to-video: Ernest Goes to School (1994), Slam Dunk Ernest (1995), Ernest Goes to Africa (1997) and Ernest in the Army (1998). The Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot theme park featured Ernest. Epcot's Cranium Command attraction used the Ernest character in its pre-show as an example of a "lovable, but not the brightest person on the planet" type of person. And in addition to his Ernest Goes to... series, he starred as Ernest in several smaller movies for Carden & Cherry, such as Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album; Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam; and the direct-to-video feature Your World as I See It, all of which showcased his great facility with assuming a wide variety of characters and accents. The Ernest Film Festival (a.k.a. Greatest Hits Volume 1) was released on VHS in 1986. Greatest Hits Volume 2 was released in 1992. Mill Creek Entertainment released these classic television commercials on DVD box sets October 31, 2006. Image Entertainment re-released them on June 5, 2012 as part of the DVD set Ernest's Wacky Adventures: Volume 1.

Other roles

Varney had an established acting career prior to his fame as Ernest. In 1976, Varney was a regular cast member of the television show Johnny Cash and Friends. He also played a recurring guest on the faux late-night talk show Fernwood 2 Night. From 1977 to 1979, Varney was cast as Seaman "Doom & Gloom" Broom in the television version of Operation Petticoat. Just prior to his stint as Ernest, he was a cast member on the notorious television flop Pink Lady and Jeff.

From 1983 to 1984, Varney played heartthrob Chad Everett's younger brother Evan Earp in the comedy-drama, high-action television series, The Rousters, created by Stephen J. Cannell, about the descendants of Wyatt Earp, a family of bounty hunters/carnival bouncers. As Evan Earp, Varney played a con man/mechanical-inventor "genius", constantly getting himself into comedic trouble, with those around him ready to lynch him. Although the series was promising, the show failed after its first season because it was poorly slotted (four episodes every few months) against the number-one prime-time television series for the past six years, The Love Boat.

Varney can be seen in Hank Williams Jr.'s video for "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight", where he is briefly shown casually riding a bull being pulled on a rope by a young lady, and later in a swimming pool with two young ladies.

In 1985, Varney co-hosted HBO's New Year's Eve special, along with Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson. Varney also played Jed Clampett in the 1993 production of The Beverly Hillbillies, Rex, a carnival worker/associate of Dennis Quaid in Wilder Napalm, which is about two pyrokinetic brothers, played by Quaid and Arliss Howard, and as the accident-prone entertainer/watch guard (aka "safety guy/human torch") Rudy James in the movie Snowboard Academy. He later played a small role in the 1995 action film The Expert as a weapons dealer named Snake.

Varney also lent his voice to Slinky Dog in Disney/Pixar's Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in the Toy Story series (Varney was replaced by Blake Clark in Toy Story 3 due to his death in 2000), and played numerous others, including "Cookie" Farnsworth, from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, released the year after his death (Steve Barr replaced Varney for the sequel Atlantis: Milo's Return), the carny character Cooter in the "Bart Carny" episode of The Simpsons, the character Walt Evergreen in the Duckman episode "You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby", Prince Carlos Charmaine (a royal suitor Jackie dates) for a few episodes of the final season of the 1990s television series Roseanne, and Lothar Zogg in the 1998 film 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, also starring Hulk Hogan and Loni Anderson.

Varney had a brief role as an incestuous, abusive father in an independent production, 100 Proof, for which he received good reviews from critics. He also played a rebel in the midnight movie Existo, as well as an old mariner in a low-budget horror film, Blood, Friends, and Money. During the filming of Treehouse Hostage, he played an escaped convict held hostage and tormented by some 5th graders in a treehouse.

One of Varney's final films was Billy Bob Thornton's Daddy and Them, where he played Uncle Hazel, who had been arrested for murder. Co-stars included Kelly Preston and Andy Griffith. Another final guest appearance was the Bibleman Genesis Series Bibleman Jr. Volume 1 & 2 as himself, where he has a friendly chat with a small group of young children about making silly faces and laughter, then entertainingly sings a simple song with them.

Varney starred in three videos, The Misadventures of Bubba, The Misadventures of Bubba II, and Bubba Goes Hunting, in which he played himself and taught young kids important safety rules about hunting and guns. He illustrated the rules with the help of his bumbling and accident-prone cousin Bubba (also played by Varney) and Bubba's imaginary hunting pal, Billy Bob. The videos were distributed as part of a membership pack from Buckmasters' Young Bucks Club.

According to an interview, one of Varney's final projects was writing a screenplay about the legendary feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys, stating that his grandfather hunted squirrel with the McCoys.

Varney said his dream role would have been to perform Hamlet. During novelist Peter David's efforts to bring his 1987 novel Knight Life to the big screen, movie producers intended to have Varney portray the main character, King Arthur.

Personal life

Varney was married twice, first to Jacqueline Drew (1977–1983) and then to Jane Varney (1988–1991). Both marriages ended in divorce, though he remained friends with his ex-wife Jane until his death; she became Varney's spokesperson and accompanied him in Pixar's 1999 film Toy Story 2.

On December 6, 2013, Jim Varney's nephew, Justin Lloyd, published a comprehensive biography about his uncle titled The Importance of Being Ernest: The Life of Actor Jim Varney (Stuff that Vern doesn't even know).

Illness and death

During the filming of Treehouse Hostage in August 1998, Varney started developing a bad cough. At first, it was thought that he might have caught a cold because of the climate of the area where the movie was being filmed. However, as the cough became worse, Varney began noticing blood on his handkerchief and, after filming was complete, he went to a doctor. A chain smoker, Varney had developed lung cancer. The disease slowly became worse, yet Varney continued to film movies. Upon being diagnosed, he reportedly threw his cigarettes away and quit smoking. Varney had filmed an anti-smoking public service announcement as Ernest in the 1980s, though it is often mistakenly assumed to have been filmed after his diagnosis.

Varney finally returned to Tennessee, where he went through chemotherapy in the hope he could beat the disease. However, it failed and he died on February 10, 2000 in his home in White House, Tennessee, a city north of Nashville, at the age of 50. He was buried in Lexington Cemetery in Lexington, Kentucky. Disney's Atlantis: The Lost Empire, which was released a year after his death, was his final role. The movie was dedicated in his memory.

Filmography

Actor
2001
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Video Game) as
Cookie (voice)
2001
Daddy and Them as
Hazel Montgomery
2001
Atlantis: The Lost Empire as
Cookie (voice)
1999
Toy Story 2 (Video Game) as
Slinky Dog (voice)
1999
Toy Story 2 as
Slinky Dog (voice)
1999
Treehouse Hostage as
Carl Banks
1999
Existo as
Marcel Horowitz
1998
Viva Variety (TV Series) as
Guest
- Episode #2.12 (1998) - Guest
1998
Hercules (TV Series) as
Ephialtes
- Hercules and the Muse of Dance (1998) - Ephialtes (voice)
1998
3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain as
Lothar Zogg
1998
Ernest in the Army as
Pvt. Ernest P. Worrell / Army Captain / Arab on Quicksand
1998
The Simpsons (TV Series) as
Cooder
- Bart Carny (1998) - Cooder (voice)
1997
Blood, Friends and Money as
The Old Mariner
1997
Annabelle's Wish (Video) as
Mr. Gus Holder (voice)
1997
100 Proof as
Rae's Father
1997
Ernest Goes to Africa (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell / Hey You, the Hindu / Auntie Nelda / ...
1997
Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man (TV Series) as
Walt Evergreen
- You've Come a Wrong Way, Baby (1997) - Walt Evergreen (voice)
1997
Snowboard Academy (Video) as
Rudy James
1996
Roseanne (TV Series) as
Prince Carlos
- Home Is Where the Afghan Is (1996) - Prince Carlos
- Someday My Prince Will Come (1996) - Prince Carlos
- Honor Thy Mother (1996) - Prince Carlos (uncredited)
1996
Toy Story Activity Center (Video Game) as
Slinky Dog (voice)
1996
Games Rednecks Play (Video short) as
Red neck
1996
Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story (Video Game) as
Slinky Dog (voice)
1995
Toy Story as
Slinky Dog (voice)
1995
Slam Dunk Ernest (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell
1995
The Expert as
Snake
1994
Your World as I See It (Short) as
Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement / Baby Ernest / ...
1994
Ernest Goes to School as
Ernest
1993
Joe Diffie, Jim Varney, Lorrie Morgan & Jerry Scoggins: The Beverly Hillbillies Medley (Music Video) as
Jim Varney
1993
Ernest Rides Again as
Ernest
1993
The Beverly Hillbillies as
Jed Clampett
1993
Wilder Napalm as
Rex
1992
Ernest's Greatest Hits Volume 2 (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell
1991
Ernest Scared Stupid as
Ernest
1990
Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Special (TV Special) as
Ernest
1990
Ernest Goes to Jail as
Ernest P. Worrell / Mr. Nash / Aunt Nelda
1990
The Magical World of Disney (TV Series) as
Ernest P. Worrell / Ernest's Father
- Disneyland's 35th Anniversary Celebration (1990) - Ernest P. Worrell / Ernest's Father (as James Varney)
1989
Ernest Goes to Splash Mountain (TV Movie) as
Ernest
1989
Fast Food as
Wrangler Bob Bundy
1988
Hey, Vern, It's Ernest! (TV Series) as
Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Baby Ernest / ...
- Hey Vern, It's Talent (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
- Hey Vern, It's Lost and Found (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory / -
- Hey Vern, It's School (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory
- Hey Vern, It's Holidays (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory / -
- Hey Vern, It's Food (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory / -
- Hey Vern, It's Hobbies (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory / -
- Hey Vern, It's Pets (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
- Hey Vern, It's Sports (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory
- Hey Vern, It's Magic (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Sergeant Glory / -
- Hey Vern, It's Movies (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
- Hey Vern, It's Scary Things (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
- Hey Vern, It's Clothing (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
- Hey Vern, It's Outer Space (1988) - Ernest P. Worrell / Auntie Nelda / Dr. Otto / -
1988
Ernest Saves Christmas as
Ernest P. Worrell
1987
Hey Vern, Win $10, 000 (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell
1987
Ernest Goes to Camp as
Ernest P. Worrell
1986
The Ernest Film Festival (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell
1985
Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam as
Dr. Otto / Rudd Hardtact / Laughin' Jack / ...
1983
The Rousters (TV Series) as
Evan Earp
- Wyatt Earp to the Rescue (1984) - Evan Earp
- This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Twelve of Us (1984) - Evan Earp
- Cold Streak (1984) - Evan Earp
- Snake Eyes (1984) - Evan Earp
- Slade vs. Slade (1984) - Evan Earp
- Two and a Helf Day of the Condor (1984) - Evan Earp
- Never Trust a Crystal Ball (1984) - Evan Earp
- Everybody Loves a Clown (1983) - Evan Earp
- Eye Witness Blues (1983) - Evan Earp
- A Picture's Worth a Thousand Dollars (1983) - Evan Earp
- Finders Keepers (1983) - Evan Earp
- The Carnival That Ate Sladetown (1983) - Evan Earp
- The Marshal of Sladetown (1983) - Evan Earp
1983
Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (Video) as
Ernest P. Worrell / Davy Worrell & Company / Ace Worrell / ...
1982
Spittin' Image as
Sheriff
1980
Pink Lady (TV Series) as
Various Characters
- Episode #1.5 (1980) - Various Characters
- Episode #1.4 (1980) - Various Characters
- Episode #1.3 (1980) - Various Characters
- Episode #1.2 (1980) - Various Characters
1977
Operation Petticoat (TV Series) as
Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom / Doom & Gloom Broom
- Matters of Honor (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Big Deal on Kaloa Street (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Hail to the Chief (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Sub-Down (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- The Talent Show (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Don't Drink the Shimbaka! (1979) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- You Owe Me One (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Cram Course (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- The Hunkle-Crandall Affair (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Operation Spleen (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Claire Voyant (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Matt on a Hot Pink Sub (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- In Gossett We Trust (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Gallardo Joins Up (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Tostin Times Two (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- General Who? (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- The Best of Enemies (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Down to the Sea in Slips (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- The Instant Ensign (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Bless You, My Sub (1978) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- On a Clear Day You Can See a Bulkhead (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Dear Molumphrey (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Grey Is Beautiful (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- We've No Business in Show Business (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- And Baby Makes 33 (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- A Party for the Captain (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- And Out of the Sea Came a Marine (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Operation, Operation (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Dooley Is a Daddy (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Yeoman Hunkle, Yeoman Hunkle Part 2 (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Yeoman Hunkle, Yeoman Hunkle Part 1 (1977) - Seaman 'Doom & Gloom' Broom
- Operation Petticoat (1977) - Doom & Gloom Broom
1978
Alice (TV Series) as
Milo Skinner
- Better Never Than Late (1978) - Milo Skinner
1978
America 2-Night (TV Series) as
Virgil Simms
- The UBS Story (1978) - Virgil Simms
- Falafel-on-a-Stick (1978) - Virgil Simms
- Daredevil Virgil Simms (1978) - Virgil Simms
1977
Fernwood Tonight (TV Series) as
Virgil Simms
- Battery Powered Car (1977) - Virgil Simms
- National Liquor Lobby (1977) - Virgil Simms
- Mobile Home Daredevil (1977) - Virgil Simms
- Getting the Most from Your Warranty (1977) - Virgil Simms
- Ethnic Myths (1977) - Virgil Simms
1977
Riding High (TV Movie)
1976
Johnny Cash and Friends (TV Series)
1974
Pop! Goes the Country (TV Series) as
Various Characters (1982-1983)
Writer
1992
The Misadventures of Bubba (Video short)
1985
Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (additional dialogue)
1983
Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (Video)
Soundtrack
2022
Diminishing Returns (Podcast Series) (performer - 1 episode)
- Ernest Goes to Camp (2022) - (performer: "Gee, I'm Glad it's Rainin'")
1995
Slam Dunk Ernest (Video) (performer: "Our Love Festers" - uncredited)
1993
The Beverly Hillbillies (performer: "Hot Rod Lincoln")
1987
Ernest Goes to Camp (performer: "GEE I'M GLAD IT'S RAININ'")
Thanks
2008
Stupa-Man (special thanks)
2001
Daddy and Them (this film is dedicated to)
2001
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (in memory of)
1999
Undercover Angel (thanks)
Self
1997
Ed's Night Party (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 10 October 1997 (1997) - Self
1997
Oops! The World's Funniest Outtakes 5 (TV Movie) as
Self - Guest
1996
The Story Behind 'Toy Story' (Video documentary short) as
Self (uncredited)
1995
Showbiz Today (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 4 December 1995 (1995) - Self
1994
The Wonderful World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1994
XXX's & OOO's (TV Movie) as
Self
1993
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode #2.177 (1993) - Self
1992
The Misadventures of Bubba (Video short) as
Self / Bubba
1990
Comic Relief IV (TV Special documentary) as
Self
1990
The Home Show (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 4 May 1990 (1990) - Self
1989
Live with Kelly and Mark (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 1 May 1989 (1989) - Self
1989
Comic Relief III (TV Special documentary) as
Self
1989
The 31st Annual Grammy Awards (TV Special) as
Self
1988
Happy New Year, America (TV Special) as
Self / Ernest
1988
CBS This Morning (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 12 October 1988 (1988) - Self
1987
Walt Disney World Celebrity Circus (TV Special) as
Self - Performer
1987
The New Hollywood Squares (TV Series) as
Self - Panelist
- Episode dated 25 May 1987 (1987) - Self - Panelist
1987
Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 6 February 1987 (1987) - Self
1986
Hee Haw (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode #17.23 (1986) - Self
- Episode #17.17 (1986) - Self
1980
Pink Lady (TV Series) as
Self / Various Characters
- Episode #1.6 (1980) - Self / Various Characters
1979
The Comedy Shop (TV Series) as
Self - Comedian
- Episode #2.14 (1979) - Self - Comedian
1979
Third Annual Final Warning!! (TV Special) as
Various
1976
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (TV Series) as
Self - Guest
- Episode dated 19 October 1976 (1976) - Self - Guest
1976
Johnny Cash and Friends (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 29 August 1976 (1976) - Self
1976
Dinah! (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode #2.206 (1976) - Self
Archive Footage
-
The Importance of Being Ernest (Documentary) (filming) as
Self
2022
FRO Thizzle Reviews (TV Series) as
Self
- My Jim Varney Tribute (Special FRO Episode) (2022) - Self
- Ernest Scared Stupid (2022) - Self
2021
Looper (TV Series) as
Cooder
- The Most Popular Simpsons Episode The Year You Were Born (2021) - Cooder
2020
The Angry Video Game Nerd (TV Series) as
Ernest P. Worrell
- Raid 2020 (2020) - Ernest P. Worrell (uncredited)
2012
The Marvelous M Show (TV Series) as
Ernest P Worrell / Ernest P. Worrell / Aster Clement
- WIN $10000!!! (2016) - Ernest P Worrell
- SPRING BREAK 2015!!! (2015) - Ernest P. Worrell
- The Art of Fishing!!! (2013) - Ernest P Worrell
- Last Day of Skool (2013) - Ernest P Worrell
- Your World as I See It Parody (2012) - Aster Clement
2015
Toy Story at 20: To Infinity and Beyond (TV Movie documentary) as
Self - Slinky Dog
2010
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness (TV Series documentary) as
Ernest / Phineas Worrell
- Ernest Scared Stupid (2010) - Ernest / Phineas Worrell
2002
The Making of 'Atlantis: The Lost Empire' (Video documentary) as
Self / Cookie
2001
E! True Hollywood Story (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Ernest Goes to Hollywood: Jim Varney (2001) - Self
2000
Jeff Foxworthy's Comedy Classics (Video documentary)
2000
The 72nd Annual Academy Awards (TV Special) as
Self - Memorial Tribute

References

Jim Varney Wikipedia